Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business
I have been working in “social” for some time. I worked out recently that I was “blogging” before it was even called blogging.
The @Forum section of my personal website (seen here in a from March 2001) was providing my views on the new digital economy some time ago.
Back in 2009, I joined Visible Technologies in London, and as many know I was the CEO of Kred from 2011 – 2013. This was the formal part of my “social media” career where I provided tools and advice to blue chip clients on how to measure and manage their social media presence.
My move to IBM in October 2013 was a deliberate shift from social media to social business, and it is important to explain the difference.
I define a social business in the following way…
A social business is an organization
whose culture and systems
encourage networks of people
to create business value
Note the words I have highlighted: culture – people – business value. No mention of fans, followers, likes, Facebook or Twitter – just real business value.
This what my C-Suite clients want to hear. When anyone mentions social, they immediately think Facebook and Twitter and the conversation and the preconceptions become those related to social media and not social business.
You can see me explain my shift towards social business in the video below, shot by the Drum as I spoke with Jen Faull while we drove around the streets of London in the back of a black cab.
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So back to the title of this post – why am I now betting my career on social business and not social media?
I passionately believe that the future of social now lies in companies that realise they need to become a social business and not just “play” with social.
I am now attending meetings where clients have specifically asked me to present to them on social collaboration.
Social collaboration is where internal tools such as IBM Connections, Yammer, Chatter and Jive are used to connect and enhance companies. For me, internal collaboration is the new way of working, and in the future your value to an organisation won’t be what you know, it will be what you share.
Before I joined IBM, I posted some lengthy reviews on a report from my good friend Brian Solis at Altimeter group on “the evolution of social business”, and it was this report that absolutely convinced me that the future of social was not in the “media” part, but the “business part”.
The opportunity for those companies that become a true social business are way beyond having 1 million likes on Facebook.
A social business uses social to hire and retain the right people, it uses social to ensure that complaints on social business get to the right department.
A social business doesn’t rely on email, they collaborate in real time and share the knowledge of the whole company with each other.
A social business knows instantly how to find subject matter experts – because they make themselves easy to find.
Becoming a social business is not easy though. Far beyond simply putting up a Twitter page, buying a social media monitoring tool and having a social media command centre, the move to becoming a social business involves a significant culture change.
One of the attractions of joining IBM is that we really do “eat our own cooking” when it comes to social business and the culture changes. Every day I see the impact of how being a social business makes us more efficient and delivers incremental value to our clients.
In pretty much every client meeting, I recount the story of how IBM became a social business, with hundreds of thousands of people using our internal social network on a daily basis, and how for many of us, social is becoming the norm not the exception.
Clients respect that for such a large and diverse organisation as IBM to be embracing the power of social business, then they can learn from our own journey as we help them change and become an organisation that collaborates and shares by default.
In my career, I have been fortunate to work with some amazing people, and also lucky enough to have been ahead of the curve on web, online, mobile and social trends.
Following my instincts, I am now betting the next stage of my career on social business, and I think it’s a pretty safe bet.
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Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/k20poRpQLR
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/qeVOfyZ6lv
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/fWCwxMtD5u via @AndrewGrill @social_ben
Interesting blog post from Andrew Grill on growth of social business: http://t.co/73ijLaqDTr
RT @chrisfarrance: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media – London Calling social business: http:/…
RT @edbrill: From @andrewgrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/BSg3zIi8TW #soc…
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media – London Calling social business: http://t.co/fi1bfik6hk
RT @NickWAllen: Social Business is the future not Social Media and @AndrewGrill is betting his career on it! http://t.co/r9UUoDeLIZ #social…
RT @PaulBromford: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not #socialmedia http://t.co/zqNC4HXops > brilliant post @…
RT @PaulBromford: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not #socialmedia http://t.co/zqNC4HXops > brilliant post @…
Definitely see a distinction MT @marshallk: Social business vs social media. @AndrewGrill focuses on the former. http://t.co/l7uqwX5ljY
RT @andyjankowski: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/YxaMHAOJhI by @andrewgrill
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business: I have been working in “social” for… http://t.co/bjZ0rw2QZJ | @AndrewGrill
RT @edbrill: From @andrewgrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/BSg3zIi8TW #soc…
“@PaulBromford: Love this defintion of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/sFMQx0KelY http://t.co/BdG6fWLVfn” very true.
RT @PaulBromford: Love this defintion of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/QkOL505GWA http://t.co/lrm5zXhNu4
@PaulBromford Love this definition of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/eLaun7QGTi think this will be a challenge for some orgs!
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media – London Calling social business: http://t.co/CrE3ErFAUt
I see it daily and talk with anyone who will listen the power in #socialbusiness is real it’s changing the workplace https://t.co/oWNfawlROp
RT @ProfessorGary Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media: http://t.co/hY2szCF4SM via @andrewgrill
RT @AndrewGrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of #socialbusiness and not just social media http://t.co/7HVynZA2Oh
RT @PaulBromford: Love this defintion of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/QkOL505GWA http://t.co/lrm5zXhNu4
RT @PaulBromford: Love this defintion of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/QkOL505GWA http://t.co/lrm5zXhNu4
A social business is an organization whose culture and systems encourage networks of people
to create business value http://t.co/EEEEqMBzMO
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/VZsa0uQyeQ via @andrewgill
[_]o break Reading: Collaborative business – http://t.co/bBfMrS4CWg
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/RZpHlyHUlL via @AndrewGrill #socbiz
Andrew – do you think there is a stigma around the term ‘social’ when used in a business context? Yes, on the ground we see the benefits of #socialbusiness but I still wonder if many C-suiters only see as far as ‘social’ and disregard everything that follows.
Short answer YES! I start my presentations to the C-Suite by NOT using the word social. Instead use words such as per above – culture, people, business value, market research. When I did this recently, the CEO of a well-known UK company congratulated me and said finally he understood the benefits of social to his organisation.
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/PdWFuqt9cE via @andrewgrill
Why Im staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/hS8h7gzKDv via @andrewgill #socbiz
The future your value to an organisation won’t be what you know, it will be what you share. #Digital #Business http://t.co/wxzTdSU3Vp
RT @edbrill: From @andrewgrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/BSg3zIi8TW #soc…
RT @edbrill: From @andrewgrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/BSg3zIi8TW #soc…
Love this defintion of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/mqgoh2VFpV http://t.co/NtLznptSTI
RT @LindaCantwell: “in the future your value to an organisation won’t be what you know, it will be what you share.” via @AndrewGrill http:…
Why Im staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/A1YcQMpuR9 via @andrewgill #socbiz
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media – London Calling social business: http://t.co/GVtUG5m5Zj
Why Im staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/5LvhXAhMzM via @andrewgill #socbiz
RT @sadatshami: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/VGJFyC2Wsz
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media – London Calling social business http://t.co/ciTMjYkgvf
Why Im staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/vRRap2iLTE via @andrewgill #socbiz
Why @andrewgrill from IBM is staking his career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/gwv7HdryjT
RT @jwcady: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/OvXruNMSua
Why @andrewgrill from IBM is staking his career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/VceHFBbJDw #SCInsiders
@andrewgrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media : http://t.co/q0bBTR56aR
RT @bduperrin: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/CC1O7Ow6zh
RT @IBMsocbiz_NL: “Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business” http://t.co/gPzWyM1u2p via @andrewgill #socbiz http://t.co/v…
RT @PaulBromford: Love this defintion of social business from @AndrewGrill http://t.co/mqgoh2VFpV http://t.co/NtLznptSTI
RT @Pinaatje: Social Business is the future not Social Media | http://t.co/VTyBhW7omq #socialbusiness
RT @Pinaatje: Social Business is the future not Social Media | http://t.co/VTyBhW7omq #socialbusiness
RT @Pinaatje: Social Business is the future not Social Media | http://t.co/VTyBhW7omq #socialbusiness
RT @JacolienKooman: ‘t wordt de norm, zoals de blogger meldt RT @Pinaatje: Social Business is the future not Social Media http://t.co/WeFj5…
RT @Pinaatje: Social Business is the future not Social Media | http://t.co/VTyBhW7omq #socialbusiness
RT @bduperrin: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business and not social media http://t.co/CC1O7Ow6zh
.@AndrewGrill: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/5LvhXAyPBM
A social business is more than just the fans, followers, and likes. http://t.co/DOnsVw5Sj8
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of #Social #Business via @AndrewGrill http://t.co/jPZYJwKOzI
Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/T2iVPB371y
RT @AndrewGrill: Some pre-reading for those attending the @IrishMarketers breakfast http://t.co/yaqvvZTOOs
RT @AndrewGrill: Some pre-reading for those attending the @IrishMarketers breakfast http://t.co/yaqvvZTOOs
Rewind: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business http://t.co/KdqWEzTtXG
RT @AndrewGrill: Rewind: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business https://t.co/HmkEHgIjB5
RT @AndrewGrill: Rewind: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business https://t.co/HmkEHgIjB5
Rewind: Why I’m staking my career on the growth of social business https://t.co/HmkEHgIjB5